Vessel of Love
by Mists
Summary: The war is over, and Naruto finally speaks to Hinata about the confession she made to him during her battle with Pain. One-shot. Deep character exploration of Naruto. Lots of romance and fluff. Naruto/Hinata and some Sasuke/Sakura.


**Disclaimer: **This is my first Naruto fan fiction so I hope everyone likes it. I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. I wrote this story to entertain fans like me; I'm making no money off of it whatsoever.

This fic is for all the Naruto and Hinata fans out there, rated "Teen" because of Naruto and Sasuke swearing a bit. It's basically how I would like the epic story of Naruto to end. If you've seen up to episode 250 of Shippuden, then there should be no spoilers in here for you. I may make one or two brief references to events that happen later in the manga, but I promise there will be no major plot spoilers as far as I know.

In short, this is my ideal way I'd want Naruto to end. I can see it ending this way and I hope it does. Also there is no Sakura bashing in this. I like Sakura, but I feel she and Naruto share more of a brother/sisterly bond.

And with that out of the way, on with the fic!

**12/27/14: Manga Spoiler!** WooT! The manga is over and Naruto and Hinata got together! SO AWESOME! I still think Sasuke deserved to at least lose his sight though. Anyway, I so can't wait until "Naruto the Last" is in the states! Finally Naruto wakes the hell up and gets it! Anyway, I did a few grammar and spelling updates in honor of the pair, that's all. The core of the story has not changed at all. So that's it, and please enjoy!

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><p><strong>-Vessel of Love-<strong>

**By: Mists**

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><p>It was finally over; the last great ninja war had come to a close. Ninja villages around the world rejoiced in their victory over Uchiha Madara. But no village celebrated more joyously than the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha. For the great hero of the war, Uzumaki Naruto had been from their home. Naruto had triumphed over insurmountable odds to save the ninja world. Not only that, but he had finally fulfilled the promise that he had made to his friend Sakura many years ago; he had brought Sasuke home.<p>

But the price of doing so for Team 7 had been quite high…

The prophecy that the Frog Sage predicted had come to pass. And it had taken Naruto bringing both he and Sasuke to the point of near death to finally knock sense back into his friend. They had both made their peace with one another, and were prepared to go on to the next life, as friends and brothers…

But Sakura had stepped in at the last moment and used the forbidden jutsu she had learned from Chiyo, the Sand Ninja. Naruto and Sasuke had begged her not to use it, but she did not listen. Sasuke even went as far as to confess his love for Sakura and that he couldn't live without her.

But doing so only seemed to drive her on…

Luckily, Tsunade and Hinata had arrived just before the very last of Sakura's chakra had run out. Working together, they were able to save her life, but she was left in a deep coma that she might never wake from. Sasuke… would have gone mad again with grief; but before Sakura passed out, she had made him promise her that he wouldn't destroy himself again… And so, he and Naruto worked together to stop Uchiha Madara once and for all.

To do so… Sasuke had paid a very heavy price… he was now permanently blind.

Naruto had been worried that Sasuke would become cripplingly depressed…

But he had to be honest… Naruto had never seen his friend so happy and at peace before. Since the battle with Madara, Naruto had been helping Sasuke train his other senses so he would still be able to fight. And as usual, his friend learned at an amazing pace.

It seemed that Sasuke had taken the promise he had made to Sakura, truly to heart. The war had exposed a great deal to Naruto; about not only his friends, but himself as well…

With the war going on, he really hadn't had time to reflect on… well _everything._ As he helped Sasuke recover, Naruto did a lot of soul searching of his own.

And he finally felt ready to speak to someone about something she had told him a long time ago, back when the village had first been attacked by Pain.

Something that had terrified him at the time…

But he now had a response for…

"Are you finally going to tell her how you feel? I think you've made her wait long enough, dobe," said Sasuke with a smirk as he sat by Sakura's hospital bed.

"Oi!" Naruto exclaimed as he whipped around to face his ex-rival, "Watch it teme or I'll Rasengan your blind ass right out the door!"

Sasuke snorted in response.

"Yeah right, dobe, and mess up all Tsunade-sama's hard work? She'll chakra punch your sorry ass right through the hospital wall."

"Damn it!" yelled Naruto knowing that the jerk was right. "Look… just, shut up! You don't even know what you're talking about."

"Oh yeah? You keep spazzing out and hiding like a wuss whenever Hinata comes by to visit me and Sakura."

"T-that proves nothing!" stuttered Naruto as he felt a blush coming to his cheeks. He was kind of glad Sasuke couldn't see it.

"Your heart rate's elevated and I can sense your chakra moving faster," replied Sasuke as he pointed to where Naruto was standing.

"_Double damn it!"_ thought Naruto as he tried to make up an excuse.

"I-uh, look, nothing's going on between me and Hinata. End of story man," answered Naruto as he scratched the back of his blond head nervously.

"That's not what I've heard from Ino…" countered Sasuke slyly.

"_I think I preferred it when the teme was still evil," _thought Naruto ruefully as he said, "I-Ino? What about her?"

"Well…" said Sasuke with a long, laboring sigh, "Apparently, from what I've heard from Konoha's Queen of Gossip, is that Hinata pretty much sacrificed herself in order to try and save your sorry ass from Pain and you never even thanked her for it."

Naruto's eyes went wide in surprise and then softened sadly.

"I… well…" he mumbled in an ashamed voice.

"At first, I thought Ino just hadn't heard you speak to her about it… Honestly, it didn't sound like something you would do…"

Naruto looked down ashamed.

"But when I asked Hinata about what had happened that day, she simply said you both had talked it over and then quickly changed the subject… I could tell she was lying though…"

Naruto's breath caught in his throat as he looked into Sasuke's blank, sightless eyes.

"I-"

"What really happened, Naruto?" Sasuke asked him bluntly.

Naruto reined in his chaotic emotions and finally let out a painful sigh. He then walked over to Sasuke sitting next to Sakura's bed and pulled up a chair next to him.

"It's… it's kind of personal, Sasuke," said Naruto as he sat heavily in the chair.

Sasuke just laughed at that.

"With all the things you and I have been through together, dobe... Is there really a point in keeping anything from me now?"

Naruto let out an indignant snort and answered, "No… I guess not."

"Then spill…" said Sasuke as he turned to face Naruto completely, "What happened to freak you out so much? …Was it because Hinata was willing to give her life for you?"

Naruto just grunted a bit.

"You really shouldn't be surprise about that…" said Sasuke sincerely as he reached out and touched Naruto's arm. "You're important to a lot of people, Naruto. Of course she'd jump in to protect you… and knowing that she had no chance of winning… that was incredibly brave of her…"

"I know-" said Naruto as he wiped at his eyes furiously. "But… that isn't what- that's not what's…"

"Then what the hell is it?" demanded Sasuke coming to the end of his patience.

"Fine! If you really want to know so badly," yelled Naruto angrily at his friend as he then blurted out, "Hinata said she loved me!"

Sasuke's blind eyes went wide in shock.

"She- She _what?_"

"Hinata…" repeated Naruto hesitantly, having never told anyone else what had transpired between the two of them that day, "She… said she loved me."

Naruto then proceeded to tell Sasuke everything that happened that day, about Pain, and what he had done to Hinata.

"And then Nagato… he brought everyone back to life…"

Sasuke sat there for a moment after Naruto finished, trying to take everything his friend had said in.

And then finally he asked, "And then what?"

"Uh…" Naruto wasn't sure how to answer that, "Well… then we started to rebuild the village and-"

But Sasuke interrupted him, "Wait… so.. let me get this straight… Hinata confesses her love for you… and you say _nothing?_"

"I-"

"Nothing to her at _all?_"

"Oi! You're one to talk; leaving Sakura on a park bench unconscious after she told you!"

"Yeah! But even being as big a jerk as I am, I did _thank _her for loving me before I knocked her the hell out!"

"I- I… gahhh…!" exclaimed Naruto in frustration as he jumped up out of his chair, "Damn it! Why must you always be right?"

"Well not _always,_" laughed Sasuke self-deprecatingly as he thought of his many mistakes, "So why didn't you give her an answer, dobe?"

"I-I…" Naruto then sighed and hung his head in shame, "I was scared."

Sasuke said nothing in response to that and simply waited for Naruto to continue.

"Sasuke… that's the first time _anyone's _ever said that they loved me," admitted Naruto as he fell heavily back down into his chair.

"I just… didn't know what to say… I mean, I've known Hinata for a long time now. …When we were little… I thought she was a bit- well _odd_. Especially the way she used to look at me… and then quickly turn away. For the longest time, I thought she was just like everyone else. That… you know, she hated me. But… out of everyone in our class, she was the only one who was never mean to me. And I realize now that… the reason she was acting like that was because she had a crush on me."

"Yeah," answered Sasuke honestly, "the whole class knew. You were the only one clueless enough not to see it."

Naruto laughed at that, "Well, I guess I get that from my ka-chan."

"Ka-chan?"

Naruto just shook his head and said, "I'll tell you about that later."

He then paused for a moment in thought and went back to talking about Hinata, "Since then, she's changed and grown so much. You'd think she'd give up on me. I mean really, I'm dumb as a post!"

"I'm not disagreeing with you there, dobe," interrupted Sasuke with a smirk.

"Oh shut up, teme! Anyway, as I was saying; she still… loved me. Even though I never really noticed her… All I could think about was Sakura-chan and becoming Hokage… But, I eventually came to realize… that Sakura would always love you Sasuke… and that… the way I loved her wasn't in a romantic sense… I love Sakura-chan, I do, but only… like a sister…"

"Yeah, and… she may never have said it Naruto… but Sakura loved you too," answered Sasuke sincerely.

"I- really?"

Sasuke nodded saying, "She had told me one day after training, before I… you know. Apparently, she didn't want me to become jealous of your developing 'relationship.' As _if_."

Naruto bit back a snort.

"Of _course,_ not," replied Naruto as he became serious again, "But since then, I've realized that I had been using Sakura as an excuse… much like Jiraiya-sensei had with oba-chan. He was too scared to go out and find something real. Love was a frightening thing to me then, but… I don't think it is anymore."

"So… do you know now?"

"What?" asked Naruto as he looked up at his friend questioningly.

"…Do you know what to say to her now?"

"I… yeah. I think, I do," said Naruto with more confidence than he felt.

"Good, because she's just about to open the door-"

"What!" exclaimed Naruto as the door slid open.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun! Has Sakura- oh! Naruto-kun! I didn't know you were visiting them today," said Hinata as she began to gently blush.

"Uh- yeah… I-"

Sasuke then elbowed Naruto in the gut, knowing that he was going to try to get out of talking to her again.

"Ow! Teme! What was that-" yelled Naruto, but he stopped when he saw the look on Sasuke's face.

It read, _"Here's your chance you cowardly idiot. You better take it or I'll beat the living shit out of you."_

Naruto literally gulped and then looked at Hinata.

"I-"

"Well-" said Hinata interrupting him before he had time to say anything else.

"It looks like this was a bad time-" she said hurriedly, as she place the flowers she brought at Sakura's bedside and quickly made her was back out of the room.

"Hinata- no, wait!" exclaimed Naruto as he ran forward and caught her hand before she could leave. She looked back at Naruto in shock.

"H-hinata-chan, I- I… uh, actually was hoping to run into you… I- uh..w-would you like to go somewhere private and maybe, um… talk?"

"I… alright," she replied as a slight blush returned to her cheeks.

Naruto gave her a kind smile and then turned to back to address Sasuke, "I'll see you later then, teme."

Sasuke smirked and gave him a satisfied nod.

Once Sasuke could no longer sense his friends, he reached out to grab Sakura's hand and held it in his own.

He then quietly whispered, "Good luck, dobe."

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><p>Naruto and Hinata walked in silence as they made their way up to the top of Hokage Mountain. When they had reached the summit, they took a seat above the Fourth-Hokage's head and then stared out at the thriving village below.<p>

For a while, they both sat in awkward silence. Naruto nervously played with his headband as he tried to figure out what he should say first.

"It's a… nice day, huh?" Naruto asked as he coughed into his hand.

"Hmm…" replied Hinata as she looked out over the village. "It really is beautiful this time of year…"

Naruto stared at her as the wind gently blew through her long, dark hair. He blushed a little and then quickly turned away.

Naruto then coughed again into his hand, trying to delay the inevitable conversation for just one moment longer.

He then took a deep breath and gathered up all the courage he had.

And finally… he said, "Hinata-chan?"

She turned to him and looked him straight in the eye, "Yes?"

"I… Hinata. The reason I asked you here was because… well… I-I believe I owe you an apology," confessed Naruto as he stared into her lavender eyes, "or… really several if I'm perfectly honest with myself…"

"I-" gasped Hinata surprised, "N-Naruto, you don't-"

"Yes," stated Naruto determinately as he reached out and took Hinata's hands in his, "Yes, Hinata. I do."

Hinata froze as her eyes when wide, was she finally going to receive an answer?!

"When-" said Naruto shakily, "When- Pain attacked the village, you… said that you… l-loved me-"

"Naru-"

"No, Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto as he grasped her hands tighter, "Let me finish!"

Hinata went quiet and waited for him to continue.

"And after everything was over… I-I never said anything about it…"

Hinata just closed her eyes sadly as a small tear ran down her face.

"It-t's all right, Naruto-kun," she replied, "I should have kept my feelings to myself. I was acting weak and incredibly selfish-"

"No!" exclaimed Naruto as he reached up and gently grabbed her face. "No, Hinata-chan. I was the one who was being weak…"

Hinata's eyes flew open and stared at Naruto in shock.

"The reason why I…" said Naruto hesitantly, as he tried to find the right words to explain his actions. He had never been very open about his true feelings before, even with Iruka-sensei. But Naruto knew he could trust Hinata; it had taken him a lot of time, but Naruto had finally learned how to trust his friends in return.

With a deep sigh, Naruto calmed himself and said, "What you had said… frightened me, Hinata… It scared me in a way that nothing ever had before…"

As tears filled Hinata's eyes, Naruto looked down in shame.

"Naruto-kun-"

"I've always been hated, Hinata," explained Naruto solemnly as he stared at the ground, "by everyone. I was seen as monster, as less than human… I was alone…_always _alone. I had always believed that everyone hated me at that time, u-until Iruka-sensei… "

Naruto then took a bracing breath and looked up at Hinata with his bright blue eyes, "But… that wasn't entirely true, was it? I… you cared about me even then… didn't you, Hinata?"

Hinata's face became bright red as she remembered the way she used to act around Naruto-kun.

This made Naruto suddenly let go of her face and hold his gut as he burst out laughing.

Hinata just looked away ashamed.

Noticing Hinata's change in demeanor, Naruto calmed down and took Hinata's hand again.

"G-Gomen, Hinata-chan. I- I wasn't laughing at _you_. I was actually laughing at myself. I'm really thick sometimes, aren't, I?"

This made Hinata glance up and smile shyly at Naruto.

"Well… maybe a little…" whispered Hinata teasingly.

It just made Naruto laugh all the harder, "It's all right, you can be honest with me. I know I was a hard-headed jerk."

Naruto's eyes then softened and his laughter died away as he added, "Especially to _you…_"

"Naruto…" said Hinata softly as she watched the look of sorrow spread across his face. She always hated when he was sad, it was like watching a brilliant light suddenly flicker and die.

The blond tightened his grip on her hand and simply continued as if she hadn't spoken, "Back then… I always thought you were a little weird… The way you used to look at me and then turn away… or when you'd suddenly rush out of a room after I entered…"

Hinata's blush returned and she looked away embarrassed about how she used to act.

"And how you never stood up for yourself… even though I knew how smart and strong you were…"

Hinata glance back at him as he said that, remembering when Naruto used to save her from bullies.

"Back then… I thought you were a coward," admitted Naruto guiltily. "That was until… your face-off with Neji…"

Hinata's eyes went wide hearing that. She stayed silent and allowed Naruto to continue.

"You kept going, even when you had no hope of beating him. You just pushed on through the pain… It was that day I finally realized that your clan looked at you much the same way the village looked at me. And… even though you lost… you earned my respect that day, Hinata. And you became one of my precious friends…"

"Oh, Naruto… you gave me so much strength and encouragement that day. I wasn't-"

"Yes, Hinata, you were amazing. And you helped inspire me to press on no matter what during the rest of the tournament."

Hinata gave him a kind smile and let him continue speaking.

"But… even though I thought we were friends, you still acted odd. Whenever you saw me, your face would turn red and you'd run away. And I could never figure out _why!_" exclaimed Naruto with a laugh, "That is… until recently…"

Naruto looked up at her with his shining blue eyes and once again, she began to feel a blush coming on.

"When I was training with Bee-san, to take control of the Kyuubi's chakra... I met someone… who I've wanted to meet for as long as I can remember…"

"Really?" asked Hinata with interest, "Who, Naruto-kun?"

"My ka-chan…"

Hinata's eyes went wide with shock as she exclaimed, "B-but! How? I thought you were an orphan, Naruto-kun! Where has she been all this time?"

Naruto then explained to her everything that had happened on October 10th… his birthday. He explained that his mother had been the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki before him, that her chakra had been imbedded into his seal, how the Kyuubi had escaped, who his father was, and how both of his parents had died protecting him and the village.

Hinata just sat and listened in silent wonder.

"Before I left, I was able to spend a little time with my ka-chan. W-we talked about a lot of things… but mostly about her past… and how she fell in love with my tou-chan," said Naruto fondly.

Hinata felt the tears in her eyes begin to fill to the brim for Naruto; she could tell how he had longed for that moment.

"My ka-chan, was a lot like me in personality," continued Naruto thoughtfully, "She was stubborn, hot-headed, and flew off the handle like I do…"

Hinata smiled at him lovingly.

"When she spoke about her past… I could _see _her memories, Hinata, almost like watching a film… And there was always this _odd _little blond boy watching her. At least, she _thought _he was odd at the time…" said Naruto as he looked at Hinata with a smirk.

And bit by bit as Naruto spoke; she began to realize just who that little boy had been.

"He would always watch her from afar, and turn quickly away whenever she caught him staring at her… Any of that sound familiar?" asked Naruto with a sly grin.

Hinata just looked down and played idly with her fingers trying to fight the blush that once again threatened to cover her entire face.

"So I asked ka-chan, when she stopped thinking of him that way," said Naruto as he reached out and lifted Hinata's chin so she would look at him, "and she said it was when he selflessly risked his life to save hers…"

The blush that Hinata had been fighting encompassed her entire face as it burned as bright as ever, but she would not pass out! Not now, when Naruto was finally going to give her an answer!

"Which brings me back to Pain, and what you did, Hinata…" said Naruto sadly as tears filled his eyes, "I-I have never been more ashamed of myself, than I was at that moment… I hadn't been able to protect the village, and there you were risking your life for me… a person who wasn't worth it…"

"Naruto…"

"And you wouldn't stop, you wouldn't _run!_" yelled Naruto as he began to cry. "You were willing to die trying to save me. And there was nothing I could do to stop you… to protect you… I was a failure because I could not protect one of my precious friends…"

"Naruto…" whispered Hinata as tears streaked down her face as well.

"And then… when you grabbed the rod in my hands and tried to pull it out; I could feel your determination, your chakra, your will… everything about you, flow into me…" croaked out Naruto between sobs. "It was then that I realized… I was using the love I felt for Sakura as a crutch, just like Jiraiya-sensei had with Tsunade-sama. Loving Sakura was _safe_ for me, Hinata, because I knew she loved Sasuke, and would never be able to return it! "

Hinata stared at Naruto in shock.

"Suddenly, everything became clear to me. I had been ignoring the signs that you loved me, because I had been scared. …I was frightened because, deep down, I _knew… _I could fall in love with you… Then Pain sent you flying and…and- he _killed you _and I-"

Hinata then released his hands and engulfed Naruto in a tight embrace.

"Stop it, Naruto-kun! Please, stop torturing yourself! It wasn't your fault!" she exclaimed into his chest.

"But it was!" he cried, but didn't try to escape Hinata's embrace. "I let the Kyuubi's rage engulf me; I allowed him to take over! I nearly killed you and destroyed what little was left of the village!"

"That wasn't _you! _The Kyuubi did that, not you," exclaimed Hinata as she held him all the tighter.

"But, I-" began Naruto, but Hinata did not allow him to finish. She suddenly released Naruto and did the only thing she could think of… she kissed him.

Naruto's eyes went wide in shock; Hinata's soft lips against his had stunned him into perfect silence.

He could sense the love, devotion, and desperation in her lips. Naruto allowed her love for him to fill his entire being. His eyes softened and slowly, he returned the kiss. In that instant, Naruto let the last of the walls he had built around his heart crumble into dust, and openly expressed the emotions he had begun to feel for Hinata.

After a few moments, the kiss broke apart and they stared at each other with love in their eyes. Naruto reached out and gently caressed Hinata's face.

"You're incredible, you know that?" asked Naruto in a hoarse voice.

Hinata just smiled and looked away shyly.

"I meant what I said to you on the battlefield, Hinata. You are brave, and strong. Far more than I am in a lot of ways…" he admitted to her softly as he began stroking her dark hair.

"Naru-"

"You know…" he said quickly trying to change the subject. "I've never told anyone this but… do you remember that rumor that was going around back in the Ninja Academy; the one about Sasuke liking girls with long hair?"

Hinata looked at him questioningly as he began to play with a strand of her hair. It had been a blatant change of subject, but she would allow him to do so. Hinata had a feeling that she would have a great deal of time to heal the wounds left in Naruto's heart later…

"Yes…" she answered ponderingly as she thought back to their days at the Academy, "I thought it was rather silly and most likely untrue, because Sasuke-kun never showed any interest in girls, period."

This made Naruto laugh as he twirled more of her dark hair around his finger.

And then what he was trying to tell her, clicked for Hinata.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed and slapped him on the arm playfully, "So you were the one!"

This just made him laugh all the harder.

"Yup! I'm actually the one who likes long hair. I wanted to see if all the girls would do it if they thought Sasuke found it attractive!"

Hinata just shook her head and sighed, "Always the prankster…"

"All I had to do was mention it within earshot of Ino and pretty much every girl in the class grew theirs out… except for _you_ of course…"

This made Hinata giggle remembering how much of a gossip Ino was and still is.

"I… was kind of disappointed that you hadn't actually…" confessed Naruto with a slight blush. "Out of all the girls in the class, I was really the most curious to see what yours would look like long… I always loved the color of it…"

"Oh? Well… arigato, Naruto-kun," replied Hinata sweetly as she grabbed at her long hair a bit self-consciously, "I was never attracted to Sasuke so I hadn't cared at the time."

"I… it's really beautiful, Hinata-chan. Uh… your hair I mean," said Naruto nervously as he played with his headband again. "My ka-chan… said girls like it when boys compliment their hair… "

This caused Hinata to blush and shyly respond, "Yes… she's correct."

"She uh…" replied Naruto with a gulp as he took Hinata's hand into his again and held it tightly, "She also told me… the secret of how a Jinchuriki can find happiness in this life."

Naruto then stared deep into Hinata's eyes and she could already see the answer.

"Ka-chan told me the only way to find happiness, was to become a vessel of love… And I would like… to try and become one… with _you._"

Hinata's smile stretched across her face as she once again kissed Naruto with all the love she had long held in her heart for him.

And so the two sat there content in one another's embrace long after night had fallen and on until the end of their lives.

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><p><strong>-THE END-<strong>

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Well, I hope everyone liked it. The latest episodes of Naruto really inspired me to write this. I hope the Japanese words I put in didn't throw a lot of people.

Here's a quick list of what they are and what they mean:

Ka-chan = mother

Tou-chan =father

Oba-chan = grandmother

Gomen = sorry

Arigato = thank you

Dobe = idiot

Teme = bastard

Also I put the last names first because that's the way you do it in Japanese.

And I think that's everything! I hope all of you enjoyed the story and please remember to read and review!


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